Key holder



Oct. 24, 1950 R. scHuPBAcH KEY HOLDER Filed Oct. 25, 1946 INVENTOR. ,Pene azfac may ffoe .5

Patented Oct. 24, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A li KEY HOLDER Rene Schupbach, Providence, R. I.

Application October 23, 1946, Serial No. 705,177

This invention relates to a key holder such as is utilized for grouping together keys which are carried about in the pocket or on'the person. Frequently keys so grouped are attached to a chain which is attached to the belt or belt loop of the person. v

Keys are frequently carried on a ring which is so split in the plane of the ring loop thatby a certain manipulation a key may be removed from the ring. Various ways have been provided for attaching and detaching a key from some sort of holder some of which means of attachment or detachment are complicated and expensive to manufacture. Other arrangements do not provide for a good suspension of the holder from a chain which causes the device to be undesirable in certain respects.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a key holder upon which a key may be positioned by a very simple movement of the members of the device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder which will permit of a key being quickly and effectively positioned in the key holder and yet one which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder which may be suspended from a chain and in which the suspension will assist in holding the locking member of the key holder in closed position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder which will be attractive in appearance.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder in which certain keys may be segregated from other'keys in order that they may be more easily identified by the person using the key holder.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the key holder illustrating a chain fragmentally shown as attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a part of the locking member cut away to expose the interior thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the body member of the device;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the locking member of the device;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the spring which 4 Claims. (Cl. Y0- 459) 2 is utilized for moving the locking member to closed position in the body member.

In proceeding with this invention I form the body member from a piece of wire or the same may be cast or molded from plastic if desired. The locking member is usually formed from sheet stock folded up into the shape illustrated in Fig. 4 and the two parts are assembled by positioning a spring between them the whole being held in assembled relation by a hollow rivet which serves as an eyelet for the attachment of the chain.

With reference to the drawings 9 designates generally the body member which consists of a length of wire, as shown in Fig. 3, folded by doubling the same upon itself to form a post portion I0 which is then bent as at Il to provide base portions I2 with upwardly arcuate arms I3 extending from these base portions to a position in rather close proximity but spaced apart to leave an opening I4 between them. These arms may be tapered as at I5 at their ends for easier entrance into the opening of a key which is to be attached thereto. By having two arms the keys may be selected so that certain keys may be put on one arm and other keys placed on the other arm for convenience of identification.

A locking member designated generally I6 and shows in perspective in Fig. 4 is formed by providing a strip from which by folding as at I8 walls I'Iy and I9 are provided in spaced relation. One of these walls such as wall I'I has anges 20 eX- tending from the wall II into engagement with the other wall I9. The upper ends 2| of the anges are turned inwardly toward each other at a location spaced from the ends 22 of the wall I'I and I9 and a hollow rivet 23 is positioned through the two walls above the location of this bent in portion 2l so as to hold the walls in assembled relation.

In assembly the wall I9 is partially folded as at I8 and then the device is located so that the post I0 of the body 9 is located between the walls I'I and I9 and extends between the anges 2i). The fold portion I8 is located beneath the post I0 and bridges the adjacent portion I2 of this wire body. The spring is then located so that it contacts the upper end of the post and this spring 24 also engages the lips 2| folded inwardly from the flanges. The length of this locking member is such that its ends 22 come substantially flush with the outer surface of the arcuate arms I3. The hollow rivet 23 is then positioned to hold the two portions I'I and I9 assembled and also provide an opening 25 for the attachment of the ring 26 of the chain 27.

The locking member may be slid longitudinally on the post end to expose the arms for the positioning of a key on either one of them. When released the locking member moves into a position to block the ends of the arm and thus block the exit of the keys from the arms. The chain While suspending the body through the locking member causes the Weight of the keys and device to assist in holding the locking member in closed position.

I claim: Y

1. A key holder comprising a member having a pair of arcuate arms spaced at their ends and each of which may be passed through the opening in a key, a stationary post on the member extending from a location opposite said spaced ends toward the space between said ends, and a locking member slidably guided on the post to move longitudinally of the post to and from a position between said arms to block the removal of keys from the arms When positioned therebetween.

2. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein a spring is provided to urge said locking member to a position between said arms.

3. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein an opening is provided in said locking member at a portion thereof between the ends of said arms for suspending the holder on a chain.

4. A key holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said locking member is hollow and a spring is located in the hollow of the locking member to urge it to aposition between said arms.

RENE SCI-IUPBACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 276,826 Jopson May 1, 1883 855,530 Reid June 4, 1907 863,297 Lynn Aug. 13, 1907 1,626,987 Venegas May 3, 1927 2,232,668 Schupbach Feb. 18, 1941 2,307,808 Segal Jan. 12, 1943 

